Out of Right Field: Mariners’ Felix Hernandez, Giants’ Johnny Cueto to face each other for first time
Mariners starting pitcher Felix Hernandez throws to a Cleveland Indians batter during the first inning of a game Thursday, March 29, 2018, in Seattle. (Ted S. Warren / Associated Press)
It’s a matchup Luis Tiant would love.
The Mariners’ Felix Hernandez and San Francisco’s Johnny Cueto will face each other for the first time in their careers Wednesday in the finale of a two-game interleague series at AT&T Park. The Mariners won the opening game of the series 6-4.
It’s usually only left-handers who get labeled “crafty,” but these two veteran right-handers will try just about anything to get opponents out. They’ll alter their deliveries during the game and try to “quick pitch” batters. And they’ll sometimes turn their backs to the plate during their windup, much like Tiant did during his 19-year career from 1964-82, primarily with the Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox.
Both Hernandez and Cueto are coming off strong season debuts.
Hernandez went 5 1/3 scoreless innings to get a victory against Cleveland on opening day. He allowed two hits and struck out four.
“He stayed with the plan,” M’s manager Scott Servais said of Hernandez after the opener. “That’s exactly what we’re looking for out of Felix. If he continues to do that, we’re going to be just fine this year.”
Hernandez even used a quick pitch to strike out Cleveland’s Bradley Zimmer in the fifth inning.
“It’s something different,” he said with a grin. “Don’t tell everybody. I’ve been in the league for a while, so they know me pretty well. They know my mechanics, know what game plan I have every game, so I’m trying different things.”
Cueto took a perfect game into the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers and finished with seven scoreless innings of one-hit ball in a game the Giants won 1-0 on a ninth-inning home run by Joe Panik.